CAERUS ENSEMBLE

PROGRAMME:

BENJAMIN BRITTEN (1913-1976): Three Divertimenti for String Quartet (1936)

I. March. Allegro maestoso

II. Waltz. Allegretto

III. Burlesque. Presto

GEORGE ENESCU (1881–1955): Piano Quartet No.1, Op.16 (1909)

I. Allegro moderato

II. Andante mosso / Andante mesto

III. Vivace

— INTERMISSION —

GYÖRGY KURTÁG (b. 1926): Signs, Games and Messages, Virág az ember, Mijakónak (2001)

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH (1685–1750): Sinfonia No.11 in G minor, BWV 797 (1720–23)

GYÖRGY KURTÁG: Signs, Games and Messages, Pizzicato-keringo (Hommage à Ránki György, 1998)

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH: Sinfonia No.1 in C major, BWV 787 (1720–23)

GYÖRGY KURTÁG: Signs, Games and Messages, Jelek VI (1995)

BÉLA BARTÓK (1881–1945): Piano Quintet in C major, Sz.23 (1903-04, rev. 1920)

I. Andante – Allegro

II. Vivace (Scherzando)

III. Adagio

IV. Poco a poco più vivace

CAERUS ENSEMBLE

Jonian Ilias Kadesha violin/viola

Pablo Hernán Benedí violin/viola

Lily Francis violin/viola

Vashti Hunter violoncello

Noam Greenberg piano

ARTIST RÉSUMÉS:

CAERUS Ensemble was founded in 2020 and is a dynamic collective of curious, exceptional and experienced musicians based in Europe. Inspired by the Greek philosophical/mythological concept of “Caerus”—the opportune moment—the ensemble seeks to capture the essence of the present through spontaneous and profound musical interpretations. Its flexible structure allows for diverse programming, enabling innovative and contextually rich performances.

Their concerts have been already extensively broadcasted by BR KLASSIK, BBC Radio 3 and Deutschlandfunk Kultur, consisting of repertoire from string trios and quartets to piano quintets and chamber orchestra.

The ensemble has appeared in concert halls like Konzerthaus Berlin and KonzerthausBlaibach and performed at festivals like Young Euro Classic in Berlin, Cervo festival in Italy, Kalamata International Music Days in Greece, Music at Tresanton‘ in the UK, KOSMOS Tirana Music Festival in Tirana and ‘’Into the Open’’ Festival in Berlin.

Jonian Ilias Kadesha is a violinist of striking imagination and intellectual breadth, recognised for performances that combine stylistic precision, physical intensity and vivid colour. Born in Athens of Albanian and Greek heritage, he studied at the Musikhochschule Würzburg, Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin and Kronberg Academy, and worked with teachers and mentors including Antje Weithaas, Sir András Schiff, Salvatore Accardo, Grigori Zhislin, Ulf Wallin, Ferenc Rados, Steven Isserlis, Ivry Gitlis, Leonidas Kavakos and Hatto Beyerle.

He has appeared with orchestras including the Chamber Orchestra of Europe under Sir András Schiff, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Beethoven Sinfonieorchester Bonn, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Slovenian Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, MDR Sinfonieorchester, Athens and Thessaloniki State Orchestras, and Lübeck Philharmonic. Increasingly sought after as soloist-director, he collaborates with ensembles such as the Netherlands and Scottish Chamber Orchestras, Aurora Orchestra, Manchester Camerata and London Mozart Players, bringing to orchestral repertoire the freedom of chamber music, improvisation and personal ornamentation.

A passionate chamber musician and curator, Kadesha is co-founder of the award-winning Trio Gaspard and founder of Caerus Chamber Ensemble. His programming reflects a restless curiosity across early, classical, modern and contemporary repertoire alike. He has performed with Martha Argerich, Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Nicolas Altstaedt, Steven Isserlis, Gábor Takács-Nagy and Antje Weithaas, and appeared at Wigmore Hall, the Louvre, Berlin Philharmonie and Salle Molière Lyon. His recordings for Linn Records, including his solo debut Hommage à J.S.B. and Suite Italienne with CHAARTS, have received outstanding international praise for imagination, originality, stylistic confidence and taste across several major European publications.

Pablo Hernán Benedí enjoys a varied career as a violinist and violist. He was born in Spain where he carries his studies as well as London where he lived for over a decade. As a chamber musician he is a founder member of Trio Isimsiz with whom he plays since 2010 having recorded three albums, including their commission to Francisco Coll and performing in venues such as the Wigmore Hall, Aldeburgh Festival, Barbican Hall, Royal Festival Hall and featuring recently in a MusicaViva Tour in Australia. He was also a member of the Chiaroscuro Quartet for fourteen years until 2024, featuring in their first 14 recordings and enjoying a varied performing scene.

Currently he is also a member of the Caerus Ensemble, a group of great variability and scope, in which all members rotate and perform different roles as well as different formations ranging from the duo to piano quintet.

Since 2020 Pablo joined the Balthasar Neumann Orchestra and Choir as concertmaster, also taking the role as mentor in their academy. Pablo works regularly as guest leader with groups such as Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Philharmonia Orchestra and Netherlands Chamber Orchestra amongst others. As a soloist Pablo has performed with Philarmonia Orchestra, Mozart Players and Concerto Budapest.

In 2024 he joined Timothy Ridout as a professor at Haute Ecole de Musique de Sion teaching violin and viola. Pablo enjoys playing a Jean Baptiste Vuillaume from 1851.

Lily Francis is an American violinist and violist living in Austria. As a top prize-winner at the 2009 ARD competition (violin), Lily has appeared with a number of European orchestras, including the Bayrischer Rundfunk Orchester, the Münchener Kammerorchester and the Münchener Rundfunkorchester. She made her Carnegie Hall Debut in 2008 and was a member of the Chamber Music Society Two in New York. Highlights of late include performances of Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante (viola) with Ilya Gringolts, appearances at the Heidelberger Frühling and Mozartfest Würzburg, as well as at the Lockenhaus and Marlboro Festivals. This year sees the CD release of the complete Mozart Quintets on gut strings with the Gringolts Quartet, as well as the launch of Klangraum Oberbauer, Lily’s concert series at her farm in Kremsmünster. As a passionate member of the Caerus Ensemble, she can be heard on violin or viola: in London at Wigmore Hall, Vienna, Tresanton, Tirana or Kalamata. Past chamber music collaborators and influences have included Andras Schiff, Mitsuko Uchida, Clemens Hagen, Nicolas Altstaedt, Kim Kashkashian, Gidon Kremer, Vilde Frang and Pekka Kuusisto. A student of Joseph Silverstein and Miriam Fried, Lily is Professor of Violin at the Universität Mozarteum Salzburg since 2017, and plays at being a farmer with her 4 children, 9 chickens and 6 sheep.

Born into a musical family in London, cellist Vashti Hunter enjoys a versatile career as a soloist and chamber musician. Vashti has been invited to important festivals, to play in prestigious halls throughout Europe and to perform as a soloist with many orchestras. Vashti studied in London and Hannover for many years with Leonid Gorokhov and later in Berlin with Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt. A very important influence is the cellist Steven Isserlis. Vashti is a co-founder of Trio Gaspard and a member of the Kelemen Quartet. Vashti was recently appointed Professor of Cello at the Anton Bruckner Private University Linz in Austria and also holds a teaching position for cello master students at the university in Hannover. She is also a Guest Chamber Music Professor at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole in Italy.

British/Israeli pianist Noam Greenberg studied in London with Maria Curcio and in Budapest with Ferenc Rados. He enjoys a busy international career playing both recitals and chamber music and has participated in many festivals, including Aldeburgh, Lucerne, Cheltenham and Schleswig-Holstein, to name a few. For many years, he was a member of the Waldstein Ensemble, a piano quartet formed together with violinist Gerhard Schulz. As a soloist, he has performed with numerous orchestras and given the Israeli premiere of the Ligeti piano concerto, broadcast live to numerous European countries. He also often works with singers, including Christine Schaffer, Mark Padmore, Ailish Tynan and Ruby Hughes. He has given and led many masterclass courses in academies and universities in the UK and Europe. He is also the Artistic Director for the Music at Tresanton festival in a beautiful part of Cornwall. He lives in London.